This bottle is the earliest known dated Iranian example of the
lustreware technique. Its neck is missing, and the body is in a
fragmentary state, but much of the decoration is clearly visible.
The main band shows a seated group of people, against a background
of leafy ornament which suggests a garden setting. Below the
garden-party is an inscription of a poem:

'Oh Heavenly sphere, why do you set afflictions before me?
Oh Fortune, why do you scatter salt on my wounds?
Oh Enemy of mine, how often will you strike at me?
I am struck by my own fate and fortune.
May joy, exultation and cheerfulness be with you.
May prosperity, happiness and triumph be your companions.'
(Translation: O. Watson)

Below the inscription is a succession of hounds chasing hares,
against a simple pattern of curling vegetation. This is a popular
subject on luxury objects, referring to the favourite noble pastime
of hunting. A similar band is on the top of the bottle. The lowest
band is decorated with a trellis of stylized curling plant
stems.

O. Watson, Persian Lustreware (, 1985)

E. Atil, Ceramics from the world of Isl (Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., 1973)